The present invention relates to an improvement in the field of liquid level detectors for cryogens and more particularly to a novel method and arrangement utilizing a high temperature superconductor material in liquid cryogen level detector.
It has been known in the past to use a superconductor material that has a low critical temperature in a liquid level detector for liquid helium. Such a detector has been satisfactory for applications for low liquid helium consumption but has not been applied to applications involving cryogens having a boiling point above the critical temperature of the superconductor and has been limited only to the detecting the level of liquid helium.
With respect to launch vehicles for space vehicles, the present method of measuring the level of liquid helium utilizes a capacitance probe. Although relatively simple in concept, this arrangement requires expensive hardware because of the extremely close tolerances involved in the capacitance probe.
Thus, a present need exists for a practical method and arrangement for detecting the level of liquid cryogens having boiling points above the critical temperature of a low temperature superconductor used in liquid level detectors for cryogens, especially as used for launch vehicles for space applications.